This invention relates to interconnection devices, and in a particular embodiment, to a device at a network interface between the telephone company and customer premises equipment.
One of the requirements imposed on telephone companies in recent years is that some division be made between the network owned by the telephone company and that owned by the individual customers. Since the customer now, typically, owns the wires and equipment on his or her side of the network interface, it is important to be able to determine whether a problem in telephone service exists in the telephone company network or in the customer's wires or equipment. In the case of buildings with several units, this problem is met by a building entrance terminal which includes an array of bridges coupled to each customer in the building. Each bridge is coupled to the netwrok through a standard RJ11 plug so that the customer can disconnect his premises equipment and plug a working telephone directly into the network for testing purposes. Thus, if service continues to be impaired during the test, the customer knows the problem is in the network and it is the responsibility of the telephone company to repair.
Interconnection devices presently employed at the network interface typically include a bridge in the form of a pair of screws within a plastic housing, a pair of wires coupled to the screws and terminating at the other end in the RJ11 plug, and a separate strain relief member for the wires. The present devices, while adequate, are also expensive since they involve a fair amount of assembly time.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a less costly interconnection device.